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Friday, November 12, 2010

Whatever Happened To All Those Discarded Ashtrays?

from the The Sarasota Herald-Tribune November 30, 1969
Whatever Happened To All Those Discarded Ashtrays?
Click here to enlarge

If you've followed this blog or Gundella's life, read her books or knew her personally then you probably know the name of Marcello Truzzi. He was an noted skeptic, sociologist, expert on the circus and author among other things. He was also a friend of Gundella's and their names intersect quite often in my research on her.

One place she was often coupled with him was in the Around The Town column by Helen Griffith in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Yes, a Florida columnist wrote several article on the witchy one. It stems from the time that Truzzi was a professor at New College in Sarasota and Gundella gave several presentations and workshops at his invite. Mrs. Griffith, it seems, was a neighbor of the Truzzi family and knew Marcello from the time that he was a young boy. The paths of the three would eventually intersect at a party at Truzzi's house and Griffith seems to have gravitated to Gundella as much as she had to Marcello and his wife, though mostly likely on a casual level from all appearances.

This article mentions Truzzi's book release from Meredith Press called Cauldron Cookery, a book of magic spells. I believe that I owned this book at one point but sold it because I'm obviously not a witch but will buy almost any book on the subject at a library sale or a thrift store. From what I recall and what these pictures I hijacked off of eBay showcase is that the book is meant to be fun.

Caldron Cookery Marcell Truzzi front cover

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Caldron Cookery Marcell Truzzi Love Potion

At the time of this article and as mentioned at the very end of it, Truzzi stated that he was working on a small book of the occult with Gundella. It appears to be another of her unfinished projects which she wouldn't let get in the way of her public teaching. She stated in several articles that books on witchcraft were overdone and she only published ghost stories as far as I know. She did put out some audio recordings on spells and witchcraft but I don't think her cookbook project ever came to be but I could well be wrong about that.

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